Cycle RAGE!!!!!

[jpaul]

I only just missed him. 13 tons doesn't stop easily.

don't most commercial vehicles have cctv so you're covered - scania ?

Agreed with most of what you say except the distance from the kerb. You should be at least two feet from it. I like 3 if the road is wide enough. It’s a safety feature and means you have an escape route if someone cuts in too close, without ending up against the kerb. And before any non cyclists complain about using up too much road, it’s actually what’s taught if you do a cycle training scheme and would be taught if cyclists had to have a licence.

you cycle where you need to, to be safe. ... this is the rookie error by which you can always identify those lacking competency ... they're in the gutter.
... you don't leave space for motorists to squeeze unsafely past, signal well in advance if there's an incoming pothole, show motorists you know they are there etc.

 

[Bear]

That is as maybe but it doesn't change the reality that increasingly a lot of roads just aren't a good place for a cyclist to be. My perspective is more rural with smaller towns and villages - when in London I rarely drive other than getting in and out.

Car drivers have made it so. Car drivers moan that cyclists are slowing traffic on main roads, so cyclist take country lanes. Drivers moan that cyclists slow traffic down on narrow country lanes, so cyclists take the back roads. Drivers moan that cyclists slow traffic down on the back road rat runs they found.

Councils plan to put in proper segregated cycling paths (not some ill thought out nonsense) and drivers complain as it would reduce road space.

 

[Rroff]

Car drivers have made it so. Car drivers moan that cyclists are slowing traffic on main roads, so cyclist take country lanes. Drivers moan that cyclists slow traffic down on narrow country lanes, so cyclists take the back roads. Drivers moan that cyclists slow traffic down on the back road rat runs they found.

Councils plan to put in proper segregated cycling paths (not some ill thought out nonsense) and drivers complain as it would reduce road space.

Don't agree a lot of it is due to increased number of vehicles on the road, increased number of vehicles parked on the roads reducing space for passing, increased numbers of larger vehicles like home delivery vans, etc.

 

[Drollic]

No. I am a very considerate driver and give cyclists a large amount of space as I pass as safely as I can. I'm not the problem but other drivers can be. I was simply stating it as it is, the truth of the matter as such.

When there is a trail of traffic 30 cars long on a main road that people are commuting to or from work on and the hold up is some guy fully togged up treading his way up a hill at 10mph it can get a little frustrating. I think that cycling routes and times could be better planned personally in this particular case

Try it yourself on whatever bike you can afford. Perhaps once you've done that, you will see why a cyclist gets frustrated at someone being impatient in their car when they're sat on there arse, comfortable, heart rate not much probably above resting and so on. Trust me, car drivers have it very easy on those hills.

Just re the red lights - It's unacceptable to run a red light on a bike, but the problem for cyclists is that frequently the lights won't turn green for a cyclist if there's no other vehicles behind. There's a number of lights in my area which do this, and they wonder why accidents occur. I should add I've not tested it beyond 4-5 minutes as it starts to get silly.

 

[Resident]

don't most commercial vehicles have cctv so you're covered

I'm a bus driver (for my sins). Most of the fleet has at least front and rear external. The newer ones have 6 external however there are some still being used that don't have any external coverage.

Still if I had hit him I'd have been effectively put on trial for the incident. I'm "a professional driver who has been taught to anticipate the unexpected" (words actually spoken to a colleague after a non-fault collision by internal accident investigators)

 

[azazl187]

Try it yourself on whatever bike you can afford. Perhaps once you've done that, you will see why a cyclist gets frustrated at someone being impatient in their car when they're sat on there arse, comfortable, heart rate not much probably above resting and so on. Trust me, car drivers have it very easy on those hills.

Just re the red lights - It's unacceptable to run a red light on a bike, but the problem for cyclists is that frequently the lights won't turn green for a cyclist if there's no other vehicles behind. There's a number of lights in my area which do this, and they wonder why accidents occur. I should add I've not tested it beyond 4-5 minutes as it starts to get silly.

I have, I used to cycle to work 4 out of 5 days per week. The commute was only 3 miles and I never had an issue with cars. I actually had more issues with pedestrians seemingly attempting to commit suicide by stepping out in front of me from the pavement onto the road.

Why is it so hard for you to understand my point here? I'm not saying that all cyclists are *********, I'm more saying that it's a little confusing why some seem to insist on using the most busy roads as some sort of training track

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

Why is it so hard for you to understand my point here? I'm not saying that all cyclists are *********, I'm more saying that it's a little confusing why some seem to insist on using the most busy roads as some sort of training track

The same reason anyone uses busy roads... They tend to go where people want to go.. That's why they are busy...

Cyclists are usually going somewhere when they ride. A cafe, training on a race route, a pub, to a favourite stopping place. They are not just going out to annoy people. Why is that so hard to understand?

 

[azazl187]

The same reason anyone uses busy roads... They tend to go where people want to go.. That's why they are busy...

Cyclists are usually going somewhere when they ride. A cafe, training on a race route, a pub, to a favourite stopping place. They are not just going out to annoy people. Why is that so hard to understand?

Then they shouldn't have anything to complain about. They are more vulnerable then the rest so if something goes bad then the result tends to be worse.

Its just the reality of it

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

Then they shouldn't have anything to complain about. They are more vulnerable then the rest so if something goes bad then the result tends to be worse.

Its just the reality of it

Do you say the same for motorcyclists?

They are more vulnerable so should avoid busy main roads and should just accept when other road users do really bad things, nothing "to complain about", as you put it?

 

[mrk]

Where is the video?

 

[Rroff]

Just re the red lights - It's unacceptable to run a red light on a bike, but the problem for cyclists is that frequently the lights won't turn green for a cyclist if there's no other vehicles behind. There's a number of lights in my area which do this, and they wonder why accidents occur. I should add I've not tested it beyond 4-5 minutes as it starts to get silly.

It is no excuse in the cases that you can see on YouTube, etc. but you are right about that - especially when it is quiet the lights on my commute home default to red and only change when a car approaches and don't seem to trigger for cyclists.

 

[tom_nieto]

My car wouldn’t be warmed up by the time I got to work if I drove. Hence I cycle the 10 minutes to work, cruise past a line of stationary cars waiting for the woefully small staff car park and ride straight to the front door of work. My last job was the ideal commute though, 30 minutes on the bike each way - quicker than driving and kept me trim.

Similarly I love a spirited drive around country lanes. I try to give cyclists a wide berth as hitting a bike would make a terrible scratch in the paintwork!

Im just looking forward to the arse in a repmobile having a go at me about road tax!

The bottom line is that I ride a bicycle as if I were on a scooter. I obey the traffic signals and laws of the road. Indication is mandatory.

 

[Rroff]

don't most commercial vehicles have cctv so you're covered - scania ?

I dunno about the HGVs as it isn't really my area but I've never seen anything to suggest they have any kind of video recording where I work and I know the medium sized vans and trucks (upto 7.5 ton) don't for certain.

 

[Bear]

Don't agree a lot of it is due to increased number of vehicles on the road, increased number of vehicles parked on the roads reducing space for passing, increased numbers of larger vehicles like home delivery vans, etc.

You don’t agree because you are a rare case in so much as you hold a balanced opinion. Many aren’t like you and there are many drivers that openly state that the roads are inappropriate places for a bicycle and so shouldn’t be allowed on the roads because they are a nuisance to drivers

 

[azazl187]

Do you say the same for motorcyclists?

They are more vulnerable so should avoid busy main roads and should just accept when other road users do really bad things, nothing "to complain about", as you put it?

Motorcycles are much less vulnerable. They have better gear for protection as well as are able to keep speed with general traffic if not exceed it.

That a very different situation.

 

[NVP]

Where is the video?

This is the part where the cyclist knocks off his wing mirror

Spoiler

 

[AndyCr15]

Serious question, what do some of you mean by a road bike isn't suitable for the road? You understand if these people were on mountain bikes, they would be going even slower?

 

[Bear]

Serious question, what do some of you mean by a road bike isn't suitable for the road? You understand if these people were on mountain bikes, they would be going even slower?

The argument goes that if people rode mountain bikes then they wouldn’t need to ride so far from the kerbs to avoid pot holes or would be more happier to ride on cycle paths which have lots of sharp debris without getting so many punctures, basically that delicate road bikes aren’t fit for purpose for riding on. Of course that argument could be used to reject any claim by a driver for any pothole damage to cars because they are driving the wrong sort of vehicle and what they are driving is not fit for purpose on your roads, which of course is a nonsense argument.

 

[Drollic]

I have, I used to cycle to work 4 out of 5 days per week. The commute was only 3 miles and I never had an issue with cars. I actually had more issues with pedestrians seemingly attempting to commit suicide by stepping out in front of me from the pavement onto the road.

Why is it so hard for you to understand my point here? I'm not saying that all cyclists are *********, I'm more saying that it's a little confusing why some seem to insist on using the most busy roads as some sort of training track

All I can say is if you see a road cyclist don't just assume they're on some leisurely jaunt regardless of location. There's a world of difference between cycling to work and then like many do, cycling 30-80 miles at a time on a regular basis at pace with thousands of feet of elevation involved. There's no excuse for what some of them do and the behaviour, however I do tend to side with them slightly more as it's far harder to think straight when you're fatigued. I know what it's like to be both cyclist and driver and cars have it very easy, honestly.

 

[AndyCr15]

The argument goes that if people rode mountain bikes then they wouldn’t need to ride so far from the kerbs to avoid pot holes or would be more happier to ride on cycle paths which have lots of sharp debris without getting so many punctures, basically that delicate road bikes aren’t fit for purpose for riding on. Of course that argument could be used to reject any claim by a driver for any pothole damage to cars because they are driving the wrong sort of vehicle and what they are driving is not fit for purpose on your roads, which of course is a nonsense argument.

Hmm, I kind of get it, in that I bought a hybrid bike because I was worried my weight on a road bike as it hit a pothole might not go down to well. As you say though, it's not really the right argument I don't think. Maybe the council should take some of this road tax money and fix up the roads.

That leads me to the next one, how do car drivers know if a cyclist has paid road tax or not? Yes, you pay per vehicle, but I don't drive many miles, so each mile I do I've paid more than most other drivers, so does that give me more right than them? Personally, I wouldn't mind paying a small road tax to ride my bike on roads if it meant there were better roads.